The SurveyMonkey poll also showed Trump and Clinton earning favorability ratings in the low 30s among non-voters, and only in the low 40s among people who actually voted for one of them. This time Rep. Jayapal said, "Mr. President the objection is signed by a member of the House but not yet by a member of the Senate".

Trump and Pence are to be sworn in on January 20.

One of them shouted "one person, one vote" from the visitor's gallery, an apparent reference to the U.S. election system in which citizens vote indirectly for their choice for president through the Electoral College. But even if they are successful, the most Democrats could do is slow the process. They refused to vote for Clinton.

"It is over", Biden instructed Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., one of several who tried to lodge an objection. The objections were all in writing but none had been signed by a senator, so Biden repeatedly cut the Democrats off with a bang of his gavel. Republicans were in control of Congress, meaning any protest will have little chance of succeeding.

The Bushes are "pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of power - a hallmark of American democracy - and swearing-in of President Trump and Vice President Pence", Bush's office said in a statement. "The objection can not be entertained", Biden repeated minutes later when a California congresswoman also objected. America's top intelligence official told Congress on Thursday that Russian Federation undoubtedly interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

In total, seven electors cast so-called "faithless" votes against the candidates to whom they were bound, including three from Washington who voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, over Clinton in a failed attempt to block Trump's election.

The final tally mirrored the December verdict of the Electoral College, which allocated 304 votes for Donald Trump and 227 votes for Hillary Clinton.

Perlmutter's office released a statement Friday saying his potential protest was related to the consensus among USA intelligence agencies that Russian Federation worked to get Trump elected through its hack of the Democratic National Committee. His election has generated much angst among Democrats and others who oppose the billionaire businessman.

The way the law is designed makes it unlikely that there will be any change to the outcome of the election.

Despite rumblings of a revolt, only two Republican electors  both from Texas  cast protest votes for someone other than Trump. Only four Democratic senators attended the ceremony.